Most Overrated PGA Players?

[mutadayen]

I use to be a big fan of Sergio Garcia, but i'm thinking more and more Sergio is the most over-rated player. Sergio always seems to be in the mix somewhere on the first or second day, then fades into oblivion. The last time he won was nearly three years ago, on the European or the PGA Tour. We all know he choked at the British Open last year. The thing is I've always rooted for him because I like his game alot. His iron play is great, and his driving is on par with most others on the tour. I just think the confidence thing has gotten to his head. At the moment, and I dont like to say this, but I think he's the most over-rated on the tour. Here's to hoping he can turn it around...

[lordnazgul]

I honestly believe that JB Holmes is the most overrated player at the moment.

He wins a tournament and a round of golf at tavistock and he is the next big thing. He had to rely on a tournament exemption to hold his card, and his stats (other than driving distance) are very very mediocre indeed.

Woody Austin and Steve Stricker are two others, a couple of good results and wehey! they are amazing, no they are not, they are having a good streak, if they were that class they would have been where they are now for the last decade or so!

What about Charles Howell III, not as good as everyone said he was.

I think the overall problem however, is that almost everyone could be classed as overrated at one time or another, Vijay can't put, Mickelson is prone to choking, Sabbatini is a moron, Scott hasn't won a major, Els is underperforming etc etc, i think when you reach the elite, "under performance" (i wish i could under-perform like this) is the norm, hence the dozens of names that are being thrown around for the accolade of being overrated!

[BASHERBAKER69]

it is easier to discuss under rated than over rated players...Monty, evidently, is under rated.

[Jeepthrills]

it is easier to discuss under rated than over rated players...Monty, evidently, is under rated.

I think Monty falls in with DLIII. He was great. At one time he was the most dominant player in Europe. He was a fixture at the top of the European Order of Merit every year. He is just past his prime. He will still have flashes of his old self like he did for 71 holes in the 2006 US Open. He just does not have it week in and week out to be considered one of the top 10-20 in the world. His current world ranking of 75 shows that.

[Ruari]

I use to be a big fan of Sergio Garcia, but i'm thinking more and more Sergio is the most over-rated player. Sergio always seems to be in the mix somewhere on the first or second day, then fades into oblivion. The last time he won was nearly three years ago, on the European or the PGA Tour. We all know he choked at the British Open last year. The thing is I've always rooted for him because I like his game alot. His iron play is great, and his driving is on par with most others on the tour. I just think the confidence thing has gotten to his head. At the moment, and I dont like to say this, but I think he's the most over-rated on the tour. Here's to hoping he can turn it around...

I think it's his putting that lets him down - tee to green, he' still outstanding. Whether he will get the putting sorted out, I dunno - it's been ages.

But he did challenge for the British Open last year - I wouldn't describe his final round as a choke, he finished under par having led for three rounds and under assault from Romero and Harrington - who very nearly did a Van de Velde. Romero was the one who choked, if any.

[BASHERBAKER69]

I think Sergio will win a major or two in his career. Perhaps he spends too much time over at Greg Norman's place with the in laws and has got chokeitis...lol.(?).

I agree, it is his putting, hes erratic with the flat stick and seems to get the yips at inappropriate times. He was a good putter until he started to use the mallet and the kack handed grip. Also, although hes addressed the pick a grip problem that he had a few years back, i would say that his swing has an inconsistent plane, steepish on the way back and flat on the way down- not a recipe for consistency. His hands arent as good as Hogans were so he can't expect to get it back right 100% of the time.

[mikelz]

Dear Sergio Apologists,
If you can't putt you can't win.
I'm disappointed but I don't think Sergio is worthy of being called a star.
Respectfully,
Scott Simpson
(I won the U.S. Open twice and you don't even remember me)

[r7 425]

Curtis Strange may have been the most overrated golf ever...He won the US Open--other than that--i dont know what he has done in golf.

[BASHERBAKER69]

I put Curtis Strange in the same box as Ian Baker Finch. Had some success, tried to change the swing to get some more distance and then failed to enjoy the same success/competition ever again. David Duval is in the same category but for different reasons.

[mikelz]

Curtis Strange may have been the most overrated golf ever...He won the US Open--other than that--i dont know what he has done in golf.

r7, you are losing me.

He won the U.S. F###ing Open back-to-back. Tour Victories: • PGA Tour: 17 Major Championships: 2 • U.S. Open: 1988, 1989 Awards and Honors: • Member, World Golf Hall of Fame • PGA Player of the Year, 1988 • PGA Tour money leader, 1985, 1987, 1988 • 5-time member, U.S. Ryder Cup team • Captain, U.S. Ryder Cup team, 2002

[iacas]

Curtis Strange may have been the most overrated golf ever...He won the US Open--other than that--i dont know what he has done in golf.

He won it twice, and won 17 times on the PGA Tour. That's one more major and four more PGA Tour wins than, say, Jim Furyk.

[Ruari]

Scott Simpson

I thought it was just the once, in 1987. When was the other one?

[Ruari]

Justin Rose. At some point for people to be high in the world rankings they should have to win. Vijay is like 10 and he actually wins tournaments. Then you have Rose who couldn't close a tourney on American soil if his life depended on it and he is 6th. Furyks always in the top but never wins. He is like 4th or 5th. That bothers me. Even my man Els is third and he has won 1 in the last 4 years on the PGA tour.

Justin had two wins last year - the MasterCard (Australian) Masters and the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. He also finished second in the BMW PGA Championship and had the most consistent record of anyone in the four Majors - his lowest finish was 12th.

There are some strange names in the higher echelons of the OGWR, that have you thinking 'what the hell has he done' but, if you're asking for wins (not unreasonable) Justin qualifies.

[AmenCorner]

I thought it was just the once, in 1987. When was the other one?

He won them back to back in the late 80's. Strange had a really good clip where he did quite well. Then he tried to change his swing, and faded away forever. For every Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, or Faldo like swing change, there is a guy like Strange that just didn't pan out. Pretty sad. You don't win back to back Open's by being anything less than stellar.

[Ruari]

over rated: Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald

Strange mixture. I don't agree about Sergio but I see your point. Luke - sadly yes, I have to agree. Has promised much and delivered little.

JB Holmes, though? What is there beyond his big drives? The amount of coverage he's getting at the moment takes him towards the overrated category, given his record. Aaron - my dark horse for The Masters. Though two born-agains in a row may be too much!!

[mutadayen]

I posted a reply earlier stating that Sergio Garcia took my vote. I'm not recanting on what I said, but i'm starting to realize how ludicrous this thinking is. Who are we all kidding...no one on the tour is over-rated. I think if you put these guys out on the courses that us less fortunate play on (and by less fortunate i mean gifted), they would shred them apart and go so far under par it would make us cry.

I think this under-rated idea comes from the notion of how good Tiger really is. If you took Tiger out of the equation, I think the max wins on tour per year for any player would be 5. If my memory serves me right, the only person to do so in the past 10-15 years outside of Tiger that one more than 5 events in any year was Vijay a few years ago. With some 40 events per year, and some fields usually comprised of roughly 160 players, winning 2-3 times per year is considered a good year. Winning 5 times is considered a great year. Winning above 5 is just amazing, but like all Chicagoans like myself who followed Michael Jordan, we're accustomed and spoiled to watching Tiger win 6,7,8,9,10 events in a year.

Going back to my main point, it's hard pressed to say anyone on the tour is over-rated. Some may be rated higher than they're actually playing (because scores are based on an on-going two year points accumulation), but let's face it...these guys are damn good...

[mikelz]

Originally Posted by mikelz

Scott Simpson (I won the U.S. Open twice and you don't even remember me)

I thought it was just the once, in 1987. When was the other one?

I meant to sign that "Andy North"

[Ruari]

Bah. Monty's never even won an event in the U.S. So what if he won a bunch of titles in Europe while most of his competition was playing and competing in the U.S.?

Did you do this to provoke me???

I wish you'd get over the misapprehension that the European Tour has no front-rank tournaments - it gives the impression that you don't know what you're talking about, which I am assured is not the case. Winners this season include Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and Geoff Ogilvy - the last two in the WGC events that are also part of the European Tour, although Tiger also won the Dubai Desert Classic. That idea that Monty won most while his competition was elsewhere is so vastly wrong. Look at his record http://www.colinmontgomerie.com/Page...nalrecord.html and you'll see that his victories have overwhelmingly been in front-rank tournaments. His competition in them has included Singh, Els, Cabrera, Harrington, Stenson, etc, etc. But I concede that Tiger and Mickelson don't get out much. If that fact devalues the European Tour, then it devalues the majority of the PGA Tour, as well - after all, Tiger only plays the minimum 16 events a year, Phil about the same. The Volvo PGA championship (now the BMW Championship) is only below the Majors, possibly WGCs (but it depends how you value them) in importance - and Monty won three on the trot. If in doubt about their status, check the World Ranking points. Granted, the European Open last year didn't have much of a field, beyond the Irish (the course wasn't attractive but you can't fault Monty's loyalty to the organisers/sponsors) but the World Cup was against the best that most of the world could throw at him. The US team wasn't top-notch, of course, but the top two are notorious for (a) not travelling outside the US and (b) not getting on with each other. The fields for the front-rank tournaments in the European Tour are at least as good as the average PGA Tour event - the average PGA event doesn't have Mickelson, Woods, et al. Your criticism could apply - in spades - to Fatbelly Gutbucket IV or whoever winning the Greater Boohickie Open in the absence of Tiger, Mick, Els, Singh, Furyk and everyone else in the top 20 - only Monty faced stronger fields. If he hadn't faced strong fields, he wouldn't have made it into the OGWR top 10. With 41 European Tour victories to his credit, Monty's record is only exceeded by Ballesteros. His eight OOM victories put him ahead of everyone - including Els and Vijay, both of whom he had to beat to get there. That makes him definitely HoF material.